character. culture. cuisine.

Salmon Burgers

Lenten Fridays are a great time to prepare savory Salmon Burgers. Meaty – but not meat – and seasoned with four spices you’re bound to have on hand, these burgers are a welcomed change if you’ve reached your limit of fried fish plates from the local church.

What you’ll need:

1 TBSP olive oil

2 4-oz salmon filets, with skin (or not, if you don’t like skin)

Black pepper, to taste

Old Bay brand seasoning, to taste

Garlic powder, to taste

Onion powder, to taste

2 brioche buns, toasted

1 cup baby spinach leaves, rinsed thoroughly and patted dry

Purple onion, cut in rings

What you’ll do:

Rinse salmon filets and pat dry with paper towels. This keeps the filets from spattering when placed in the hot oil.

Place olive oil in skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once oil is hot, but not smoking, place salmon filets skin-side down. Adjust heat so that they do not burn or scorch. Pan fry on this side for about five minutes.

While the skin side is pan frying, sprinkle pepper, Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder to taste on the skinless side. Don’t be afraid to be aggressive here. We’re only seasoning on one side so you can sprinkle on more than you would normally.

The seasonings I used. But use anything you like and don’t be afraid to be bold.

In New Orleans, we like flavor. Be generous with the seasoning.

After 4-6 minutes, the filets should look opaque and be browning on the edges. You’ll be able to see them becoming denser as well. Gently turn the filets onto the seasoned side and pan fry for an additional 3-4 minutes, checking every minute or so for a nice brown crust. The skin side will be tender, but if skin is not your thing use a skinless filet.

The skin side will be tender, not tough, and fully cooked. But if skin is not your thing, use a skinless filet.The seasoned side after browning.

Remove salmon filets from pan and place on buns, adding the spinach and onions for garnish. Mine is a very simple sandwich, but of course you may add any condiments you might like, such as mayonnaise, honey mustard, sliced tomatoes, pickles and the like.

The fully cooked filet on half of the brioche bun.

The salmon will be solid, but also juicy and tender. It really is a tasty alternative to beef burgers.

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My Project

SoulCreole: The Cookbook

This project seeks to preserve and perhaps resurrect a dying facet of modern life: our deep connection to the foods that are a vital part of our identity, our history, our experiences and our cultural future.